Madrid Cocido Route, the best way to eat in winter

Cold is something natural in winter, although this year it is lighter, and this February has given us a truce …

And what better way to cope with it than to eat a good Madrid stew?

If there is a typical stew of the Spanish capital it is the Madrid stew, made of chickpeas, vegetables and assorted meats. The origin of this dish is humble due to its high caloric intake, but little by little it spread to the upper classes until it was included in the best restaurants.

From the 14 February until March it is celebrated Ninth Route of the Madrileño Cocido, in which more than forty restaurants will participate, not only in the center of the capital, but also the towns of Lozoya, Alcalá de Henares, Guadarrama (among others), and municipalities of Toledo and Segovia.

La traditional way of consuming it, as it will be served on the Route, is by separating the ingredients into three services, commonly known as overturns: the first one with the broth resulting from the cooking of the ingredients and noodles; the second the chickpeas with the vegetables; and the last with the meats.

How to participate in the Route?

Participating in the Ruta del Cocido is possible in two ways: either as a diner or as a restaurant.

If you are the restaurant owner specialized in this stew and you want to enter the Cooked Route, all you have to do is call the organization’s phone number and get in touch with them.

If on the contrary, what you want is fight the cold with a spoonFind out about the restaurants that participate in the Madrid Cocido Route. Visit them, save the tickets and vote for your favorite restaurants on the official website of the Route. Also, with your vote, you will enter the draw to gain your weight in Chickpeas from Godín, in olive oil from Madrid and in wines from Las Moradas de San Martín.

The keys to a good stew

If after doing the Ruta del Cocido you dare to try it at home, here we bring you the keys proposed by the best chefs in Madrid.

Like all traditional stews, for it to come out well, we must choose quality raw materials, as the grandmothers say “If you want me to know you, make sure it hurts”; Y simmer, essential for the ingredients to exchange aromas and the result is a good soup.

One tip to keep in mind is to put the chickpeas soaked the day before with water and salt, and once we are making our stew, add them when the pot is cooking and not before. Also, if you like neat and clean presentations, wear a hairnet to cook the chickpeas, this way they will not scatter around your pot.

Finally, keep in mind that the blood sausage and chorizo They tend to leak too much fat and that could stain our soup. For this reason, it is preferable cook them separately and add them once we have finished preparing both.

If you want to know all the participating venues, we attach here the link to the website of this year’s stew route.